PRAISEANDWORSHIP

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BASISFORPRAISEWORSHIP

artinLuthersaid,"NexttotheWordofGod,musicdeservesthehighestpraise.Thegiftoflanguagecombinedwiththegift of song was given to man that he

shouldproclaimtheWordofGodthroughmusic."

ThegratitudeoftheChurchhasalwaysgoneuptoGodinpraiseandsong.

–WilliamBarclay

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MusicismentionedintheBible839times.KingDavidsetpriestsandLevitesinthetabernacleforthesolepurposeofministeringwithmusic.Hehad"round-the-clock"worship,makingpeopleawarethatworshipwasnotaonce-in-a-whileevent,butacontinuallifestyle.

ScripturetellsustocomeintoHispresencewithsinging:

WorshiptheLordwithgladness;comebeforeHimwithjoyfulsongs.Psalm100:2

Speaktooneanotherwithpsalms,hymnsandspiritualsongs.SingandmakemusicinyourhearttotheLord. Ephesians5:19

MusiccanusherusintoGod'spresence,asseenin2 Kings3:15.Elishawasaddressingthe KingofIsraelwhenhesaid:“‘Butnowbringmeaharpist.’Whiletheharpistwasplaying,thehandoftheLordcameuponElisha….”

While music isawayofushering in God'spresence,itisnotamagicbuttonthatcanbepushedtomakeGod'speopleworship.TheLatinwordforpraiseis“value”or“price.”Thus,wepraiseGodtoproclaimHisworth.“Praise”isourresponsetoHisperson,but“worship”isourresponse toHisperceivedpresence.WorshiptranscendsnormalhumanactivityanditisHOLY.Genesis28:16-17sharestheaccountofJacob'sdreamatBethel:"WhenJacobawokefromhissleephethought,'SurelytheLordisinthisplaceandIwasnotawareofit.’"OutoffearJacobsaid:"Howawesomeisthisplace!ThisisnoneotherthanthehouseofGod;thisisthegateofheaven."Whatwasthis"awesome"place?Itwasaplacebyaroadwherehesleptwithhis headonastone!ItwasthepresenceofGodthatmadeitanawesomeplace!AnordinaryplacewastransformedintoaholyplacebecauseoftheawarenessofGod'spresence!

PWOC-An AWESOME Place!

Aspraiseandworshipleaderyouhaveanopportunitytotakepartinthetransformationofordinarymeetingplacesintoawesome placesofworship!Asthe BodyofChristcomestogether,incrediblethingscanhappen!

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BENEFITSOFCORPORATEWORSHIP

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ThetrumpetersandsingersjoinedinunisonaswithonevoicetogivepraiseandthankstotheLord….ThenthetempleoftheLordwasfilledwithacloud…forthegloryoftheLordfilledthetemple

ofGod.

--2Chronicles5:13-14

Corporateworship that takes place inaPWOCmeetingbuildsunity.2Chronicles5:13-14describesasituationwherethisunitytookplaceasaresultofworship:Thepeopleinthispassagewere"joinedinunison."Musicisaunifyingfactoraswemeettogether.Thinkofanygivenmorning,orevening,PWOCmeetingandwhatyoumayhavehadtogothroughtogetthere.HowoftenhassingingtogetherwithyoursistersinChristbeenthevehicleGodhasusedtoremovethedistractionsofthemorning,orevening,andprovidefocusonHim?WhatawonderfulopportunityyouhavetoleadwomenintothepresenceoftheLord!

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GOALSOFTHELEADWORSHIPER

WorshipbeginswhenwebecomeintimatewithGod.WebecomeintimatewithGodwhenwelayalldistractionsasideandfocusourattentiononHim.ItisinsurrenderingallthatwearetoHimthatwetrulyworship.Romans12:1states,“Therefore,Iurgeyou,brothers,inviewofGod’smercy,toofferyourbodiesaslivingsacrifices,holyandpleasingtoGod–thisisyourspiritualactofworship.”WhenansweringthecallofPraiseandWorshipLeaderinPWOC,youmustdecideifyouwillleadworshiporbetheleadworshiper.AsweworshipwithourgroupsweexemplifyourrelationshipwiththeFatheranddrawotherstotheobjectofourworship.

Aboveallelse,theleadworshipermusthaveanactive,growingrelationshipwithJesusChrist.

WorshipleaderRonKenolysuggestsfivecharacteristicsofaworshipleader:
  • TheworshipleadermustbeagoodstudentoftheWordandbeabletodiscernwhethermaterialisinlinewithScripture.
  • TheworshipleadermustberadicallysavedbyanexperiencewithChristandbeabletoleadinprayer.
  • Theworshipleadermustbeaboldleader.Thespiritoffearandtimiditycantransfertoacongregation.
  • Theworshipleadermustbeaskilledmusicianorsinger.DavidappointedskilledmusicianstoserveinOld Testament worship.Thisdoesnotmeanyouneedadegreeinmusic,butweneedtoavoidbadnotesandoutoftunesinging.Ifyourmusicisbad,therewillbeadistraction,andpeoplewillnotenterintoworship.(Thisdoesn'tmeanyoumustbeanexcellentsoloist;itdoesmeanyouneedtobeabletocarryatuneandhaveabasicknowledgeofmusic).
  • Theworshipleadermustbesubmissivetoauthority;therecanbeabigproblemiftheworshipleaderhasherownagenda.

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HOWTOLEADPRAISEANDWORSHIP

Logisticsisawordthatdoesn'tsoundveryspiritual.However,unlessthelogisticalaspectsofyourpraiseandworshipministryarecarriedoutwell,distractionscanprohibitworshiptakingplace.

Focus On God

OurgoalandchallengeastheleadworshiperistodothingsinsuchawaythatitallowswomentodrawclosetoHim,tofocustheirattentiononHim.Keepingthisinmindweneedtobeawareofafewthings:

1.Whenyoustandbeforeyourgroup,worship. BepreparedandwellrehearsedsothatyoucanfocusyourattentiononHim.

2.Don’tbecomesolostinworshipthatyouarenotawareofthestatusofyourgroup.Youare responsible to usher womenintoGod’spresence. Makesure theyare therewithyou.

3.Whenyouoryourteamareinfrontofthegroup,quickornoisymovementwilldrawattentiontoyou.

Musicianswhoareunpreparedwillunintentionallydrawattentiontothemselves.

Amount of Time

PlanwithyourPresidentandSpiritualLifeVPtoallotanadequateamountoftimewithineachPWOCmeetingforPraiseandWorship.Whiletheideaofwhat“adequate”isvariesfromgrouptogroupandevenpersontoperson,mostworshipleaderswilltellyouthat10minutesis

notenoughtimeandthatfifteenminutesisadequate.Otherworshipleaderswilltellyouthattransitioningwomenfromtheirhecticlifeeventsintoanattitudeofworshiprequirestimeforatleast5songs.AlthoughtherearedifferingopinionsregardinghowmuchtimeshouldbeallottedtoPraiseandWorship,itisimportanttorealizethatPraiseandWorshipisanecessarypartofeachPWOCgathering.Weshouldnotunderestimateitssignificanceinsettingthetoneforeverythingelsethatoccursthere.Biblestudywillgodeeper,andfellowshipwillbesweeterifitisprecededbyatimeofpraiseandworship.

Thissaid,itiswisetobeawareofotherthingsthatneedtotakeplaceduringeachPWOCgathering,toworktobeateamplayer,toberesponsibleforthetimeallottedtoyou,andtobeflexiblewhennecessary.Doyourpartinhelpingtostartthemeetingpromptlysotherewillbeenoughtimeforeverything.MakesurethatPraiseandWorshipdoesnotexceedthetimegivenit.Ifyouhaveworkedwithotherboardmemberstoplanthecomponentsofthemeetingandsomethingunexpectedhappensthattakesawayfromyourscheduledtime,beflexible.Withprayer,flexibility,andastrongcommitmenttoministry,everythingthatneedstobeaccomplishedinamorning(orevening)canbe,withoutmissingoutonpraiseandworshiptime.

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Asuggestedformatforanopeningsessionwouldbe:

Note:Morninghoursarebeingused, butcanofcoursebeadaptedtoanytimeframe.

AnopeningsessionisconsideredtobethetimebeforePWOCBiblestudiestakeplace.Itisusuallyatimewheneveryoneistogether,ifthereismorethanonestudytakingplace.Elementsofanopeningsessioninclude:praiseandworship;announcements;devotionalthought,andcorporateprayer).Ideally,thiswouldtakeplaceduringthefirsthour;Biblestudywouldfollowforthenexthourtohourandahalf.However,itcanbedoneeffectivelyin30-45minutes.

Selecting Songs

Prayer

Whenselectingsongs,thefirstpriorityistoprayandspendtimeaskingGodwhatsongsshould

beincluded.Itmaybehelpfultoreflectuponconversationsyouhavehadwithwomeninyourgroup.Whataretheystrugglingwith?Whataretheyrejoicingabout?Whataretheirconcerns?Songscanspeakwordsofencouragement,proclaimGod’scharacter,andremindusof“Who”Godcanbeinourlives.

Styles

Inselectingsongsyoumustthinkaboutstylesofmusic. PWOCisadiversegroup. Wecannot

assumethatwhatisoneperson'spreferencewillbeanother's.WehaveawonderfulopportunitytoministergraceandcourtesytotheBodyofChrist.RonKenolytellsastoryaboutleadinginworshipandnoticinganolderwomaninthefrontofthecongregationthatwasclearlyNOT gettinginvolved.HerecountsthatashebegansingingthehymnWhataFriendWeHaveinJesus,herwholecountenancechanged.Itwasobviousthateventhoughshewantedtoparticipate,shewasapathetictocontemporaryworship.InKenoly'swords,"Iwasnotwalkingdownherstreet."Becausehewassensitivetothiswoman'sneeds,shewasdrawnintoworship.

Withinmilitarychapelcommunities,thereareavarietyofdenominationalandculturalbackgroundscomingtogethertoworship.Keepingthisinmind,wemustbesensitiveandgenerousinthisarea.Thiswillhelpcreateanacceptingenvironmentwherewomenwillfeelcomfortabletoworship.CharlesSwindolloncesaid,"Thechurchwillcontinuetosingherstatelyhymns;but,inadditiontothese,eachnewgenerationwillcontinuetocomposefreshchorusesofworshipandnewpsalmsofpraise.Thesesongsgivethechurcharelevantexpressionofhermessage."

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Balance

Becauseofourdiversitywemustbebalancedinourselectionofmusic. Hymnsareapartof

churchhistoryandneedtobetaughttoyoungwomenwhohavejustcometoknowtheLord.HymnsareimportantforthoseofuswhohavebeenChristiansforawhile.Womenneedtobechallengedbythedepthofmeaningthelyricshold.HymnsteachusthedoctrinesofthechurchandremindusofGod’sattributes.Someofthewonderfulstoriesofhowthesegreatsongscametobewrittenneedtobeshared.HereisanopportunitytoincorporatethePWOCaim"ToTEACHwomenthehistory,beliefs,andprogramsofthechurch,allbuiltonasolidfoundationofworshipandBiblestudy."

Progression

Worshipisanattitudeoftheheart. Itistruethatbecauseofcircumstancesandtheworldin

whichwelive,womenoftenarriveatPWOCmeetingswithaspiritofheaviness.WomenwillneedtobeledintotheHolyofHoliesandthatrequiresaprogression.TherewasaprogressionofenteringintothatplaceintheOldTestament,andthroughmusicandsinging,womencanbeledtheretoday.AtHisthronetheycanleavetheirdistractionsandproblems,gointoaBiblestudywithalighterload,andbereadytoconcentrateonHisWord.Songscanbevehiclesthatusherusintothatholyplace.

Flow

Oneofthemostimportantthingstoconsiderwhenselectingsongsistheflowofthesongs.

Movingfromonesongtoanotherassmoothlyaspossibleisimportantinallowingpeopletoremaininanattitudeofworship.Itisnotnecessarytointroducethesongs.RememberthatyourgoalistofocusonGod,givingwomenanopportunitytospeaktoGodthroughsong,scripture,and/orresponsivereading.TheremaybetimeswhenabriefwordfromyouwouldbeappropriateifithelpstofocuswomenonWhotheyaresingingabout,toencouragethemtolayasidethethingsthatdistractthem,ortodescribewhoGodhasbeentothemthatweek.

Equallyimportantishowwetransitionfromeachcomponentintheopeningsession.Ifweworktogetherwiththeotherboardmembers(President,SpiritualLife,Prayer,etc.),wecandevelopaflowthatenablestheattentiontoremainonGod andnotonthefactthatwearemovingfrom onethingtoanother.ItishelpfultothinkofPraiseandWorship(singing,dancing,drama,livingvideo,etc.),prayertimeanddevotionsasonetotalexperience.

CoordinationandHarmony

Coordinateand plan music around themes of weeklydevotions or monthly meetings. Coordinate

thesethemeswithyourSpiritualLifeVPforweeklymeetingsandwiththePrograms VPformonthlymeetings.SometimestheHolySpiritdoesthiswithoutanyhelponourpart.Thosetimesarepreciousandaffirming! Always,HewantsustoplanandthenalwaysbeopentoHischangesandadjustments.Oftenasongwillsetthetoneofameetingandprepareheartsforwhatwillbepresented.

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StandingorSitting

Thereneedstobebalancewithstandingandsitting. Oneofthebiggestcomplaintsheardabout

churcheswhereabigblockoftimeisgivenforpraiseandworshipistheamountoftimepeopleareexpectedtostand.Somesongshavetobesungstanding,duetoanovationofpraisethatdrawsyoutoyourfeet.Sometimesyourgroupneedstostandtohaveapostureofunityandvictory,ortoawakenthem!However,sittingcanenhancethesenseofbeingalonewithGod,thefeelingofneedingtocommunicatewithGodprivately.

Therearepracticalpointstothisconcept,particularlyforolderorinfirmmembers,andthatisthatstandingforlengthsoftimecanbedifficultorimpossible.Thesewomenmay hesitatetocometoPraiseandWorshipbecausetheydon’tfeelabletoparticipatebystandingandareembarrassedtocallattentiontothemselvesbysitting.ItmaybedifficultforotherstofocustheirattentiononGodwhentheirfeetorbackarehurtingfromprolongedlengthsofstanding.Perhapsthebestcompromiseistomakesurethatwomenknowthatiftheycannotstand,theyarewelcometosit.Likewise,ifeveryoneissittingandtheywishtostand,theyarewelcometodoso;however,youmightencouragethemtomovetothebackoftheroomsothatthosebehindthemmightbeabletosee.

Media

A technical but important element of the worship experience is how the words to the songs are displayed.If you are not savvy with the media program your chapel uses, be it PowerPoint or another program, make friends with someone who is! Besuretousespellcheck, re-readyour slides and even better, have someone else proof them for you. Amisspelledwordcanbeverydistractingandattimescanchangethemeaningofasong.Make sure that the names of God are capitalized! Smallprintandfancyorcutefontsarenotappropriateforthisuse. Consider using a background picture that compliments the words of the song and inspires worship. Be sure to use your chapel’s CCLI number on the slides, showing you have permission to both display the words and perform the songs in a public setting.

Othersuggestionstoconsiderinthisarea:
  • Havethecomputer andprojectorsetupandreadytobegin. Thereisnothingmorefrustrating thangettingreadytosinganddiscoveringaburnedoutprojectorbulb,oroutoffocuswords.Comeearlyandbeprepared!
  • Beginamusicfile. Thisisawonderfulresourcetobuildandpassontoyoursuccessor.
  • Keepadatedrecordofsongsyouhavesung.
  • Leadworshipwithintegrity!Whenreproducingmusicinanyway,besurethatyouhavecopyrightprivileges.Theserightscanbepurchasedeasily andeconomicallythroughtheChaplains’fund.CheckwithyourChaplainAdvisorconcerningthis. Chancesareyourchapelcommunityhasalreadydonethis. Beresponsiblein makingsurethismostimportantdetailiscovered.

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InvolvingOthersintheMinistryofPraiseandWorship

Seektobuildapraiseteamandband. Beanactive"talentscout." Listentowomensinging

aroundyou in chapelor atPWOCmeetings,andinvitethemtobepartof apraise teamor shareasolo.Findoutiftherearewomenwhoplayinstruments.Don'thesitatetoinviteotherstoparticipateandusetheirgiftsinministry.You may need to encourage your board todevelop anddistributeaministryinterestsurveyinordertodiscoveriftherearethosewithtalentandinterestinmusic.

UsingVariety

Providevarietythroughyourmusicministry.LetyourmusicministrybeareflectionofthediversityofcultureandbackgroundsrepresentedinyourPWOCBody.Don'tallowfamiliarandroutine.GodisaGodofcreativityandvariety!Letvarietycharacterizethespecialmusicpresented.Usesoloists,duets,trios,instrumentalpresentations,choirs,guestmusicians,interpretiveliturgicaldance,andlivingvideostoenhanceyourweeklymeetingsormonthly

generalmeetings.

Planning and Practice

Preparationandpracticeareimportantandnecessary.Taketimetogooversongswithyourteam.Practicerhythm;discusswhetheryoumayrepeatthesongandifso,whatsignalstowatchfor.Gooverintroductionstosongsandendings.Ifusingasoundsystemandmicrophones,checkoutthesoundandbalance.Rememberthatsoundis"soakedup"bybodiesinaroom,sothevolumewillneedtobelouderwhenpeoplearrive.Thesethingssoundsotechnical,buttheycanmakeadifferenceinwhetherornotpeoplearedistractedbyapoorsound

systemoranunpreparedandunrehearsedmusicteam. Tomany,thismayseemprideful;

however,wrong notes,microphones thatare tooloudor toosoft, orspecialmusic thatisnotcuedorbalancedwiththemicrophone,canbethecauseofsomeonenotbeingabletofocuson

the messagethatisbeingpresented.Yes,thingshappenandGodisgracioustoblessany genuineeffortofworship,butourresponsibilityistogiveGodourbest!

IFNOONEISAVAILABLETOLEADORACCOMPANY PRAISEANDWORSHIP

Ifyourgroupissmallandthereisnoonetoleadworshiportoaccompanywithguitarorpiano,checkoutsomeoftheCDsortapesavailableforsmallgroups.TheseCDsandtapeshaveasplittrack,sothatonespeakercanbeturnedoffandonlytheaccompanimentmusicisheard. Ifyoufindyourselfinaplacewherethereisnooneavailabletoleadthepraiseandworshiportoaccompany,makethisamatterofearnestprayer.Godwillsendtheworkersyouneedtofulfillthetaskofministry!Thishasbeenprovenoverandoveragain!

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MONTHLYMEETINGS/PROGRAMMEETINGS

Besureyouhaveanunderstandingofwhatisexpectedofyouconcerningmonthly meetings.Trytofindspecialmusicthatwillenhancethethemebeingpresented.Findoutthethemesaheadoftimeandbecomeawareofsongsthatwouldcomplementspecialmeetings.PerhapsanaccompanimenttrackcanbeorderedfromaChristianbookstoreforsomeonetoshareasspecialmusic.

WARNINGNOTESFORTHEPRAISEANDWORSHIP LEADER

RonKenolyandDickBernal,intheirbookLiftingHimUp,listtenthingsthatbotherapastoraboutaworshipleader.ThesethingscanbenotesofwarningforaPWOCworshipleaderaswell:

FINAL THOUGHTS

ManywomencometoPWOC meetingsrushed,anxious,andburdened.Throughmusicyouhaveanopportunityto"breakdownculturalbarriers,cutacrossagedifferences,erasedenominationallines,sootheandcalmanxioushearts,incitecourageinthefainthearted,comfortthegrieving,healthewounded,rescuetheperishing,anddrawwanderershome."(LiftHimUp,KenolyandBernal)

Finally,sisters…

Let the Wordof Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and counsel one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songswith gratitude in your hearts to God.--Colossians 3:16

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